A wrap up from the local Wisconsin Packer news...

Jason Wilde's Tennessee pre-season game summary (Madison.com).

Tom Silverstein on the running game situation (JSOnline).

Bob McGinn on a potentially dominant defense (JSOnline). 

Starters look decent in brief appearance (PackersNews.com) 

Noah Herron update via McCarthy press conference notes (Packers.com).

(opps, we just linked to packers.com!) 

Looks like Donald will play vs. Philly (Rotoworld.com) 

Today Packers GM Thompson announced the release of 11 players.  The players are quarterback Ingle Martin, center C.J. Blomvall, wide receiver Carlton Brewster, fullback Erryn Cobb, punter Ryan Dougherty, defensive end DeVon Hicks, cornerback Antonio Malone, guard Pat Murray, running back P.J. Pope, linebacker Juwan Simpson and tight end Joe Werner.  They are no surprises.  By the 8-28-07 deadline, the team must reduce its roster to the NFL mandatory 75 man limit.

Update:  On 8-27-07, fullback Ryan Powdrell was place on injured reserve to reach the NFL mandatory 75 man limit. 

After the anemic running game performances in two of the three preseason games, the questions linger about how improved is the offensive line & how well are their adjustments to the zone blocking system for a successful 2007 NFL season.  The reviews of the Jaguars game were brutal exposing whiffed blocking assignments & failed cut blocking assignments with blame for everybody.  As a reviewer said:

 "Cut-blocking is a basic element of the zone run scheme and is used primarily on the back side of a run play to knock down pursuing defensive ends and tackles. It keeps those defenders from tying up the guards and center, whose job often is to push forward and block a linebacker.  Jacksonville slanted its defensive line so that it could rub out the guard and mess up the running lanes, essentially forcing the back to run outside the tackles every time...."

A pessimistic reviewer focused upon the veteran tackles saying, "...[T]he inability of Tauscher and Clifton to consistently execute the backside block too often gets overlooked."   A third reviewer added that the year old question remained:

"...[H]ow well tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher fit the zone scheme....Back-side cut blocks by the tackles are a major part of the offense, because that opens cutback lanes if the front side of the play is closed. So, the occasional missed back-side cut can ruin a run just as easily as a missed block on the front side." 

G Colledge explained the preseason running game situation:

 "We've got a very minimal part of the running game going on in the games.  We're doing fundamental stuff: outside, inside, left and right. When we have the ability to put in everything - we have our fakes and our counters and our nakeds (bootlegs) and our full run game - we'll have a lot more success in the run game.  Right now people know we're running a very vanilla run game. Linebackers can just fill and fill and fill and it makes it real easy (to stop the run)."

Veteran T Tauscher understood the concern about the struggling running game:

"You have to have some concern.  But it (working on the run game) is tough for what we do. You're not live tackling, you're not live cutting.  With the system we have in place you want to always look good, but when you can't really cut a guy, you just want to get your reads and get in a good rhythm showing the running back where his reads are. We're not in mid-season form from a cutting standpoint. We have a ways to go."

As they did in the second half of the Jaguars game, the coaches will make the crucial offensive adjustments to counter the defensive strategies of opponents in the forthcoming new season.  An optimistic T Tauscher said:

"I don't think there's any question we have our hands full and we're expected to be a lot better running the football.  That will come with playing together and trusting each other a little more.  I think you have to hold your judgment (in the exhibition season).  I think we're going to be able to run the ball much more effectively than last year."

QB Rodgers added:

"Really, it's one block here, one block there.  Either a cut (block) on the backside or maybe a running back pressing the aiming point a little longer, so he can stretch the defense to make his cut.  Brandon is starting to figure it out as far as the run game goes, just one cut and downhill.  The more reps he gets, the better he's going to be at reading those lanes. We're really just a cut block or a cut by the back away from some big runs."

Finally, when asked about "how has the offensive line executed cut blocks in the games so far?", Coach MCarthy said:

"We could do a better job of it. We haven't really gone into a bunch of the outside lead zone. We've done some inside lead zone. We do some things where you're not going to cut. Jacksonville...went backdoor on us and line stunted us. A lot is made of the cut blocking....It's a big part of what we do technique wise. Hopefully we'll have more opportunities to do it in the future."

We shall see in the final preseason game against the Titans and in the first game against the Eagles at the home opener of the new season.

by John C. Redfern   Senior Writer  8-24-07

SUMMARY:

In the first half, the Pack had strong performances from the offense, defense, and special teams to lead 10-0.  In the second half, with the Packers reserves playing poorly, the Jaguars reserves rallied to win the game 21-3.  Overall, the Pack had positive indicators, especially the dominating 1st team defense, QBs Favre & Rodgers, and most rookies.  Rookie RB Jackson struggled running the ball with few holes, but he scored on a 1 yard TD run and caught 4 catches for 23 yards.  Rookie WR Jones shined with six passes for 80 yards.  TE Franks had two big catches.

THUMBS UP:

1.     Defense: In the first half, the first and second teams’ defenses held the Jaguars to a shutout including two stops on fourth down conversions. The Jaguars were 0-4 on third down conversions and held to six first downs.  LB Barnett led the dominating & pressuring defense.  During the Jaguars’ second drive, Barnett dropped WR Williams for a one yard gain, stuffed RB Jones-Drew on a 3^rd and 1, and ended the drive by wrapping up RB Jones-Drew for no gain on 4^th and 1. S Bigby played well enough with good coverage to please the coaches & to continue starting.  S Collins said, "He’s pretty good....He gets the calls out and he makes the right checks so he’s doing a very good job back there.”  CB Bush solidified his nickel cornerback role. "I'm definitely pleased," said John Schneider, personnel analyst to GM Thompson. "...[O]ur defense should be able to keep us in games. Offensively, we'll come along…."

2.    QBs: Starting the game, QB Favre completed 14 for 130 yards for an 87.5 passer rating.  He completed seven consecutive passes in a 76 yards scoring field goal drive.  Then, backup QB Rodgers completed five of seven passes in a 73 yard scoring TD drive.  For the game, Rodgers finished with a passer rating of 95.6 points, although he was sacked three times.  "We were productive in...moving the ball, but ...[not] a lot of points," said Favre...."That's how you judge, with points & wins & losses. We were off with some route-running. We still have a long way to go....."

3.     Rookies: After a slow start, Packers rookies WR Jones and RB Jackson got better in the game.  Jones caught three straight passes for first downs in the first scoring drive.  The drive ended with two big plays by Jackson: an 11-yard catch to set up first-and-goal and, on the next play, a 1-yard touchdown run.  Rookie LB Bishop had a decent game with 5 tackles including a big hit that knocked the helmet off Jaguars WR Williams.   Rookie safety Rouse looked solid including a big hit on Jaguars TE Wiggins. Rookie K Crosby continued to impress on kickoffs & hit a 38 yard field goal.  Rookie RB White rushed for 60 yards on 11 carries

4.  Special teams. The special teams looked good on solid kickoffs with strong coverage except in the late stages of the game.

THUMBS DOWN: 

1.     Running game: In an unbalanced offensive attack, the rushing game finished with 84 yards in 25 carries for an average 3.4 yards per carry.  In the first half, with few open holes, RB Jackson appeared tentative getting  8 yards on 10 carries.  In second half, the coaches made inside zone adjustments opening up holes improving the rushing game against backups.  When asked about the running game, offensive coordinator Philbin said, “Not much and not well….They were moving their line at times and slanting and angling….[W]e didn't adapt well to that" [till late in the game].

2.     Sloppy & weak offensive play & line execution: In the first half, several receivers did not adjust to coverage making errors on running routes & poor blocking.  The 1st team offensive line struggled executing the running game.   As a brutal assessment of the weak offensive line play, a reviewer said:

     "On the first play of the game, for instance, dependable left tackle Clifton badly missed his block....On other occasions, the Packers’ blockers whiffed in their attempts to block linebackers....Too frequently, the Packers missed their backside blocks, so when Jackson cut back to daylight, he was swallowed up....Other times, the line was simply overpowered."

      In three runs, G Spitz "missed two blocks against [a] DT...and another against [a] LB...."  As for the seasoned tackles,  they continue to struggle "...to adapt to the zone blocking scheme....to consistently execute the backside block...." In the second half, the entire 2^nd team offensive line had a real rough game, especially looking like a sieve on pass protection.

3.    Shoddy defensive execution & pedestrian defensive backups: In the first half, the 1st team defense looked solid with pressure & big plays.  Yet, they lacked an overwhelming pass rush & had a sometimes leaky rush defense.  In the second half, the backups played shoddy with pedestrian execution and tackling having few standouts.  Rookie DT Harrell continued to struggle against backups.  "He played slow and looked sluggish," one scout said. "Poor reactions. He stalled out...rushing the passer. He got knocked back too far...on the goal line."  LB Bishop must improve shedding blockers & LB White must improve to make impact plays.

CONCERNS: 

1.  Injuries:  The Pack had injury scares when WR Driver left with a foot sprain injury and G Spitz left the game with a reocurring injury.  WR Driver is expected back for the home opener against the Eagles.

2. Turnovers:  In the game, the Pack had two forced fumbles, committed four penalties, and gave up five sacks.

McCarthy press conference:
http://www.packers.com/news/releases/2007/08/23/3/

PackerNews.com game summary:
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070824/PKR0201/708240691/1989

People are talking about WR James Jones:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=651716

Jason Wilde has "troubling uncertainties" with these Packers:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports/206919

Driver suffered a "sprained foot" during the second quarter. (What is a "sprained foot"?  The answer is here.)

At first it looked like his knee, but thankfully it's the foot.  It's similar to the injury Ferguson, but according to McCarthy's press conference, not as severe. 

More news coming today. 

Longer story from Bob McGinn:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=651638

Rich Eisen interviewed Brett Favre on the NFL network last Monday. 

Interview covers: preseason games, James Jones, Jackson, getting old, etc.  Actually, Brett seems a little surly during the interview, doesn't he?

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d8019f8f0 

Now that the BrewCrew seems to be out of a playoff shot (yes, we know they're still in it), we can get back to a PBB tradition of the semi-daily links.

Madison.com's Jason Wilde takes a shot at exactly who's in, who's out and who's on the bubble.

AP: Will Marquand Manuel get cut now that he's a backup?

AP: Morency will be ready for opening day.

PackerNews.com: Rookie offensive lineman Barbre is putting on a show.

Bob McGinn: College stats for Rookie FB Erryn Cobb: 3 rushes for 10 yards

Another Packer signs with the Viqueens... this time it's Ferguson.

by John C. Redfern 8-20-2007

Summary:

The Pack improved to 2-0 giving an old fashion whipping to the Seahawks. The offense, the defense, and the special teams showed improvements in the 48-13 rout.  The offense had new rhythm, better execution, & quick adjustments leading to an improved offensive performance. Also, they used multiple personnel alignments, the shotgun formation & quick huddles to catch the Seahawks off guard.

Early, Favre lead the Pack downfield to three scores on a field goal by rookie K Crosby, on a one yard TD by rookie RB Jackson, and on an eight yard TD by rookie WR Jones. Rookie RB Jackson played an outstanding game with good run, decoy, & pass protection performances. TE Franks caught four crucial passes for 30 yards. Rookies WR Jones had three great catches with two for TDs.  In the red zone offense, the Pack scored six of eight times. The return games improved  with exciting performances by return specialist & CB Blackmon.

Early, the defense dominated getting three sacks with two causing scoring touchdowns on forced fumbles. The backups played a solid game. Back up safety Bigby had two sacks. Backup CB Bush had two interceptions. Backup LB Hodge had the most tackles & a sack. Overall, the dominating defense caused explosive turnovers: seven sacks, three interceptions, & three fumbles leading to 21 points.

Ratings:

Quarterbacks: Favre had better chemistry & sync with the offense team getting three early scores. QB Rodgers played good throwing 2 impressive TDs.  Yet, he had two fumbles caused by a high snap and by being blind sighted. QB Thompson played poorly throwing two interceptions. Grade: B+.

Running Backs: Rookie Jackson showed improvement cutting quicker, running low, & using extra 2nd efforts for additional yards. He got 54 yards on 13 carries averaging 4.2 yards & one touchdown.  Grade: B+

Fullbacks: Rookie Hall is raw, but he played a solid blocking & catching performance. Grade: B.
Wide Receivers: Driver, Jones, Martin, Holiday, & Clowney had good games. In the three wide receivers combo with Driver & Jennings, Jones is an impressive weapon. Yet, Jennings must step up his game to be productive. Grade: A-.

Tight Ends: Franks rebounded getting four receptions. Alcorn & Harris had good completions for their cause. Grade: B.

Offensive Line: Overall, after a shaky start including a holding call, pressures, & blitzing penetrations, the offensive line improved opening up good holes & providing decent pass protection. Grade: B.
Defensive Line: DTs Williams, Pickett, & Harrell played strong games. The DEs had constant pressure with sacks by Jenkins, KGB, & Burdine. Grade: A.

Linebackers: Overall, the starters had a strong game with crucial plays, especially by Poppinga & Hawk who got a sack. Overall, the backups must improve with Hodge & Havner playing better than slower Bishop & White.  Grade: A-.

Cornerbacks: Starters Woodson & Harris were impressive. Overall, the backups looked good with Bush having a solid game with two interceptions & Walker making solid defensive plays. Grade: A.
Safeties: They played a strong game. However, Collins missed a crucial tackle leading to a score. Backup Bigby played strong getting two blitzing sacks. Grade: A.

Kicker: The kicking competition heated up with Rayner & Rookie Crosby having equally strong games. Grade: A.

Punter: Ryan impressed averaging two punts for 55 yards. Grade: A.
Special Teams: Blackmon had solid returns on kicking returns & punting returns. Clowney & Bodiford had good returns. The coverage teams looked poor needing a great deal of improvement. Grade: B-.

Concerns:

DE Montgomery, WR Bodiford, & HB Powdrell suffered MCL injuries. They are lost for three weeks or more.  Five turnovers & sloppy play are concerns with two fumbles & nine penalties.

by John C. Redfern  8-16-07

"I was as frustrated when I came out as I think I've ever been in preseason," Favre said. "I just expect more, not only from myself, but from the offense in general. It wasn't so much what (the Steelers) did. I give them credit, but it was what we did — or didn't do.”

"Talent alone does not get you championships. Chemistry does. We have to find it fast, and there's going to be a lot of ups and downs along the way. The only way we have success here is each week we get a little bit better."

"He talked about his glory days a decade ago when a talented and experienced cast knew exactly what one another would do. He spoke about how his fresh-faced teammates 'keep me youthful.' And he talked about compartmentalizing his approach in '07."

 "They know," Favre said, referring to McCarthy and Thompson, "as well as I do, what we're up against offensively. It's a lot different than five years ago, six years ago, seven years ago. But at some point, I have to play the game." 

"I think it's all timing, Packers director of pro personnel Reggie McKenzie said when asked why Favre has struggled. I just think you get a couple more preseason games and a couple more weeks of practice, that will work itself out. I'm not worried about it, especially with him....I think he's still working on his timing with the guys....That's going to come. Now if we had three Donald Drivers, I don't think that would be an issue." 

"It's a new season for an old quarterback charged now with not losing the game.  How Favre performs and chooses to perform, without seasoned professionals around him might well tell the Packers' story in '07."  

At the end of the 2007 season or maybe the next, Brett will walk away & retire from the game having earned the timeless records, the glowing awards, and the solitude of endless offseasons. The dusk of a timeless fall day at the mythic stadium will come to the Holy City in the middle west landscape far away from the concrete & plastic jungle of the megalopolises.  Until that day, Bret will step back into the pocket, protected by the "hopes from the glory days" supported by a young rising offensive line, throwing defiant brilliant passes of hope to rising young stars under a golden sun cheered by the greatest fans against the perplexing chaos, the aging odds, and the final goodbyes.

by John C. Redfern         8-13-07

For the first 2007 preseason game, the Packers did okay with the positives outweighing the negatives in a 13-9 win.   Packer great Johnnie Gray said it best:  "The Pack did okay...took the first step toward being a much better team than many have predicted...." 

THUMBS UP:

1. Backup QB Rodgers had a stellar performance going 18-of-27 for 168 yards with a scoring pass to WR Holiday.

2. Rookie RB Jackson got mixed reviews starting slowly in the first half, getting better in the second half, & finishing with 57 yards on 16 carries.  For the running backs, the Packers averaged a good 4.0 yards per carry.

3. The 1st team defense looked solid with DE Jenkins making "3 big plays" including 2 sacks forcing a fumble.  Rookie DT Harrell  bulled his way through for a sack.  The LBs looked solid "making no serious mistakes," but the backup LBs struggled.  The defense secondary was strong with several coverage breakdowns by some backups causing two big scoring plays.  Cornerbacks Bush & Walker played a consistent strong game.

4. Rookie WR Jones had a solid performance getting 58 yards on 6 receptions.

5. Punter Ryan, with his new two steps routine, had a "more consistent" punting night averaging 47.5 yards per punt.  Rookie K Crosby had a good game kicking a long 52 yard field goal & "booming kickoffs deep into the end zone."

6. Packers emerged healthy with two minor injuries.  Management is pleased by the "initial display" of the team with increasing depth and "competition at positions of weakness."

THUMBS DOWN:

1. The 1st team offense had a very "slow start" gaining just 12 yards on 12 plays, failing to get a first down in their four series, & getting just 14 yards in 8 carries with RB Jackson.  As a reviewer said, "Heck, a good high school team might be able to do better. The line was OK, but none of the receivers were able to get open against tight coverage."  The Pack need to develop a deep threat playmaker.

2. The defensive breakdowns in the secondary & the "awful" poor tackling & coverage play by backup safeties Underwood & Bigby lead to two big plays resulting in a touchdown & a field goal.  For management, one of these young safeties must emerge as a challenger for the starting strong safety position. 

3.  For a successful West Coast offense, the Packers need an impact tight end playmaker.  As a commentator observed, the tight ends had a "rough game" saying, "Lee's run blocking was inconsistent and he struggled to get separation as a receiver. Bubba Franks dropped a perfectly thrown pass and neither Zac Alcorn nor Clark Harris looked ready to play at this level."

4. Special teams coverage was average with "coverage teams giving up some big returns but also had some really good stops."  Teams continued to struggle in coverage & blocking assignments with missed tackles leading to good returns.  Overall, as a critical reviewer said, " If things don’t start to improve, look at the schemes and not the personnel. Unlike the previous few seasons, the talent is more than good enough. Special teams coordinator Mike Stock, on the other hand, may not be."  Competition at the "up-for-grabs" kick returner positions is "intense" with Blackmon, Bodiford, & Clowney competing for the top spots.

by John C. Redfern 8-9-07

Bart Starr giving "best wishes" to me.

by John C. Redfern    8-9-07

The training camp reviews indicate the "immediate impact" progress of the drafted rookies is generally good news. 

The WSJ has a positive review, "Packers: Harrell Making Progress", about "sluggish" DT Harrell, quoting Nunn: "He's behind, there's no question about that. And he knows that. Being out a year has really set him back. But he's showing some really positive signs the last few days....He's certainly come back, and we're giving him more reps now because he's starting to get in shape. He's going to be fine. We're encouraged."  RB Jackson progresses having shined in Family Scrimmage Night by excelling in pass catching skills & scoring a run TD.  Jackson is "marathon man" in the preseason games to become an immediate productive starting running back. WR Jones is progressing well getting rave reviews with QB Favre comparing him to Sterling Sharpe.  Safety Rouse shows "promise" with Coach McCarthy saying the rookie is "off to an excellent start" working at free safety having decent coverage, hard hitting, & special teams skills.  OL Barbre progresses "impressing the coaches" & "holding up well" when filling in at left guard with the 1st team offense.  WR Clowney gets mixed reviews with raw skills, but he has KR blazing speed exciting coaches & fans about an improved special teams.  The sixth round rookies are "shining."  LB Hall is "turning heads" with his transition to fullback & his special teams skills.    LB Bishop progresses having inside linebacker & special teams skills.   Kicker Crosby is impressive  "challenging" veteran K Rayner for the roster kicking job.  Finally, RB Wynn may find a niche as "both a goal-line and short-yardage threat."   More reviews later.

Love or hate Ted Thompson, you have to like the way he rewards the hard working veterans.  

In 2006, Aaron Kampman signed a 4 year contract extension. Kampman followed it up with his best year ever in 2006. 

Now word has leaked that Donald Driver has inked a contract extension that runs through the 2010 season.  He also gets more money.

>> Update:  Jason Wilde, on ESPN 1510am (Milwaukee) said [paraphrasing] while it's a nice contract, the guarnateed money is only paid if Donald is on the active roster.  This means if he gets injured - the Packers don't pay him the extra amount.  So it's not quite as nice as it looks.  

By John C. Redfern  8-4-07

At training camp, the roster battle for the strong safety position is hot with strong competition among the candidates. Silverstein's story about the candidates for the position sums it up:

"For those wondering whether veteran Marquand Manuel is going to get tossed out of the starting lineup, consider the play of second-year safety Atari Bigby. [T]he physical Bigby...has only one interception during camp, but if he wins the job, his role is going to be at the line of scrimmage, punishing running backs. Manuel has not had a bad camp and is orchestrating the defense much better than he did a year ago. He appears to be running better and isn't making as many coverage mistakes. But Bigby has firmly entrenched himself in the safety battle...with Marviel Underwood, Tyrone Culver, Charlie Peprah and third-round pick Aaron Rouse...for playing time. Bigby has to continue gaining a grasp of the defense and show he can break on the ball quickly enough to cover receivers in his area, but he has practiced well...."

The candidates are playing well but no one stands out ahead of the competition.  By opening day, the question is whether the filled position is an upgrade to the weak performance of last season.

by Rick Stratton

Favre left camp this week to attend the funeral of Deanna's step father.  It struck me - Favre sure has had some heartache over the last few years.  Today's Jason Wilde-Madison.com column sums it up:

"His father, Irv, died of a heart attack a day before the Packers played at Oakland in December 2003. The brother of his wife Deanna died from injuries sustained in an all-terrain vehicle accident on family property in Hattiesburg, Miss., in October 2004. A week later, Deanna was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Brett Favre's childhood home in Kiln, Miss., where his mother still lived, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005." 

Favre wasted no time getting back into the swing of camp... he lit up the defense in yesterday's "blitz period".

by John C. Redfern   8-2-07

Green Bay is the No. 1 NFL city according to a story in The Sporting News written by an associate editor who admits to be a Wisconsin raised Packers' fan.  I like her description of "Holy City" for Green Bay across the Fox river.  QB Brett Favre is the No. 1 player of 50 active players that will most likely get into the Football Hall of Fame.  Who can argue with that?

By John C. Redfern  8-1-07

As Packer fans hoped, the early training camp reports show generally good news and a little bad news.  The good news: the offensive line shows “light years” improvement in strength and comfort with growing depth; TE Bubba Franks seems to be the old Bubba redux for our West Coast offense; rookie WR James Jones is getting rave reviews making fans hope for a 1Driver, 2Jennings, & 3Jones receiving corps scoring combo; the defense  looks solid with competition creating depth & quality among positions including the questionable positions of nickel back, dime back, and strong safety; backup QB Rodgers has looked sharp; & generally rookies are progressing giving hope that they make immediate productive offensive & defensive impacts.

The little bad news: highly touted 1st round rookie DT Justin Harrell looks sluggish seeing limited action; concerns about the endurance & depth of our running backs with injured veteran Morency out & 2nd round rookie RB Brandon Jackson progressing but struggling in pass protection; at last night’s evening session, missing leader QB Favre, the offense looked rusty & sloppy in the two minute drills & red zone drills; and the injury bug has hit Morency, Humphrey, and a growing walking wounded raising depth concerns. 

Finally, yesterday, ESPN's "First Take" had a guest talking about "Pro Football Prospectus 2007."   Its cover has a picture of HOF BF saying "Favre goes out a winner." He was asked if New England is the choice to win the Superbowl.  While he said NE was the favorite to win it, he offered two possible dark horse choices: Jacksonville and Packers. He liked our defense but he added that the Pack need a playmaker RB.   Sports fans want future HOF QB Favre to go out a winner making the playoffs. 

by Kevin O'Brien 

It looks like the Packers will be without their starting running back for awhile.  Vernand Morency bruised his right knee during Saturday's first practice and will be forced to take the next couple weeks off.  Thankfully there is no ligament damage and he shouldn't miss any regular season action. 

Fortunately this happened early.  Morency should only miss the first preseason game and already has a year of experience in the offense anyways.  If there's a positive to the injury, it's the extended reps that Brandon Jackson will now see with the first-team offense.  He needs to learn the NFL game, so extra plays in practice can't hurt at all.  If Jackson progresses well in the next couple weeks he could earn himself more playing time and possibly even win the starting job by Week 1.

While searching for a contact within the Packers' press office, I found this nugget of info:

"Other sites may link without prior permission to the home page of the Green Bay Packers, www.packers.com, (the "Service") only through a plain-text link. Permission must otherwise be granted by us in writing for any other type of link to the Service and/or copyright content owned by the Green Bay Packers."

Location: http://www.packers.com/copyright/ 

This means that whenever we highlight (and thus promote) a story, an article, the schedule, a stat, etc that exists on Packers.com, we can only link to the homepage, not the actual page where said content exists.  (Pack management probably has better things to be worrying about than links that go beyond the opening page of Packers.com, but I guess they've got to starting fixing the problems somewhere, right?)

So when follow one of our links to the Packers' homepage and you are confused to why you can't find the item you thought you were going to read - don't blame us!

Update... just realized that we've already violated the copyright by linking directly to the copyright page, above. Darn!!  Preparation for cease and desist letters will commence shortly. 

Games are on the following channels:

Channel 4 Milwaukee
Channel 18 Eau Claire
Channel 19 Lacrosse
Channel 34 Eagle River
Channel 27 Madison
Channel 21 Duluth/Superior
Channel 9 Wausau
Channel 5 Greenbay

Mike Vick as a Packer?

As awful as it sounds, it's not that outlandish of an idea.  Thompson has a love for bad boys (Koren Robinson?).  And there's a chance Vick might be available next year.  John Clayton:

"...there should be no doubt 2007 is the beginning of the end of the Vick era in Atlanta. Blank is a businessman who espouses high principles. Vick is the face of the franchise and a sports icon in the Southeast. Whether he's guilty or innocent, Vick would have to prove the federal government made a major mistake in indicting him to salvage his reputation throughout the area."

If Vick does avoid jail time, then he'd probably only serve a 1 year suspension from the NFL.  With a release from the Falcons, that would make Vick as a free agent for the 2008 season, right after Sir Favre retires.

We're not saying we want this to happen... just making the point that it's a possibility.  Frankly, we like dogs.  We've got two of them here at the Packer Backer homestead, and they are not for fighting (although they don't do much but lie around).

Back in April we put a "shout out" to any folks interested in contributing on a regular basis to the PBB.  Well, with the launch of the new PBB (on July 19), we're officially ready to have more people contribute.

So if you are interested or you contacted me before and I've lost your email address (Brian Saxe), please email me at fpsiii at gmail dot com.

Basically we'd like someone with an annoying love of the Packers to post 1-2 times per week during the season.  It can pretty much be about anything packers, within reason.

And there's revenue sharing!  All proceeds will be shared.  (Last year that would have come to about $10.)  

There hasn't been much news out of Packerland since the Favre fiasco settled down and the  bizarre John Jones firing blew over.

But since we're less than 10 days away from the opening of training camp (on Saturday, July 28), we decided to find some links to get you warmed up...

>  Packers groundskeepers are trying a new stitching process to keep the turf together for all of 2007.
>  Packers.com on the 2007 schedule.
>  Draft pick update from PackerNews.com.
>  Frank Winters's car and super bowl ring stolen.

By now you've heard all the hubbub about this whole Favre-Moss-Thompson mess that we've found ourselves in.

If you are really worried about it, you have to hit the Pro Football Talk Rumor Mill every morning. It's hard to link to, so just go read the last couple days worth of posts.

You should also probably bookmark the Biloxi Sun Herald's website as well. Don't recognize the town of Biloxi, Wisconsin? That's because it's down in Mississippi and a sportswriter down there, Al Jones, seems to be the only one that Favre actually talks to (probably because he writes puff pieces like this one).

No one seems to know exactly what's going on, so we'll try to present the possible scenarios:

Scenario #1: Favre is still god; Thompson is the worst; and we coulda had Moss, easily.

Scenario #2: Favre is disguntled; Thompson is on the right track; Moss was never really an option.

Scenario #3: Favre was bamboozeled by his agent (Bus Cook); Thompson and Favre are best friends.

Regardless, it's never a good thing when the icon of Wisconsin sports, our Jordan/Wayne Gretzky/Dale Earnhardt, begs the team to trade him.

It'll be interesting to see what the Pack does now that Favre has informed the world that he's not bothering with mini camp.

Favre vs. Thompson 

It's shaping up to look like Favre vs. Thompson is going to be an interesting 2007 story.

Over the weekend, there was a bunch of new evidence that Favre and Thompson won't be writing nice things on each other's Facebooks walls.

Favre had some carefully chosen words on Saturday to a reporter at his golf fundraiser. [Extreme paraphrasing] "Thompson coulda signed Moss and he didn't, but I don't want to make a big deal about it." (You can read the real quote here.) Sure, Brett didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Not according to Fox.

Late Sunday, the sports radio shows were lit up talking about this Fox Sports report in which Favre's agent requested a trade from the Packers. And according to Jason Wilde, Thompson did not deny that Favre asked to be traded.

JSOnline has a good summary of the whole weekend here.